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Amazon app picks up new UI with bottom bar navigation and better Whole Foods integration
It appears to be a server-side change, so you may not see it right away
If you rely on Amazon's dedicated shopping app to peruse the digital aisles, you might have noticed a change recently. The dedicated Android app for Amazon's storefront is seeing some significant tweaks, most notably a new general navigation bar on the bottom of the screen. The updated interface doesn't seem to be tied to a specific version of the app (we tried one on multiple phones), so this may be a server-side switch.
Firefox Preview 5.2 brings improved tab management, voice search, and a custom tab bug (APK download)
Getting closer to a stable release step by step
Mozilla's all-new Firefox version based on completely rewritten code continues receiving enhancements before it's ready to replace the company's old Android browser later this year. After the relatively minor 5.1 release late last month, version 5.2 brings a few more substantial enhancements to the plate, making the browser more comfortable to use.
The Facebook app switches to a bottom bar for some
The server-side change appears to be rolling out widely
Facebook has been working on a bottom bar for its Android app for quite some time now. Last year, we saw a wild redesign that added a big "F" menu button in the middle, flanked by quick access to the news feed and notifications. That design appears to have been shoved back into the drawer, making way for a new experiment that looks much more conventional. The latest A/B test just takes the familiar top section bar and moves it to the bottom of the screen, which doesn't look too different from the iOS app.
It hasn’t been long since the Facebook app for Android shed its dark blue top bar in favor of an interface that looked whiter than Facebook’s ethos. Some of that vibrancy may soon make a comeback as the social media giant is testing a redesigned options tab along with a new bottom navigation bar, where the Facebook logo sits right in the center. The changes are visible only to a few people, so possibly it’s a limited test.
Much controversy has surrounded the new gesture navigation in Android Q. While some people love it, others prefer the old three-button layout (or depend on it due to impairments), and some even prefer Pie's two-button navigation. Google put a lot of thought into creating the new system, working together with OEMs, and is confident that its solution is the best. The company goes to great lengths to prove this with some statistics published in a blog post on Thursday.
If you feel like you're pretty comfortable with the navigation in the Google app, you'll be sad to learn that a shake-up might be on its way. Google introduced bottom tabs last year, settling on five options: Home, Upcoming, Search, Recent, and a hamburger menu leading to more. The latest UI being tested replaces Recent with a new Top Apps section that looks like it's been borrowed from the Google Go app.
After some time spent testing out different bottom navigation styles, the latest incarnation in the Android YouTube app is something very similar to what you'll find in the iOS version. It's still being a/b tested as far as we know, so some users will see it and others won't. It now appears that the YouTube Music app is following suit with a bottom navigation UI of its own.
In the midst of the MWC hullabaloo, Reddit released a small redesign to its official Android app. Gone is the cluttered hamburger menu, so say hello to a bottom nav bar that's taking its place — for better or for worse. Version 2.1.9 also brings some other changes, which are mentioned in the official changelog.
A few weeks ago, we reported on Facebook's testing of a new bottom navigation bar, showing 'Home' and 'Explore' feeds. We've now received word that Facebook is testing some more bottom tabs, except this time, they've been moved from the top.
It's been more than 4 months since we first spotted a new bottom bar navigation interface in Google Maps, and now the layout is official. Google has announced it on its blog, saying that "when you're on the go, there's no time for apps that can't keep up," and this is exactly why this change is important.